


I Saw The Bright Stars Coming Closer

by TheSoggySchuyler4



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Kid Fic, Kid Jemma Simmons, Kid Leo Fitz, Kid Peter Parker, Kid Skye | Daisy Johnson, Outer Space
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:20:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23147641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSoggySchuyler4/pseuds/TheSoggySchuyler4
Summary: There were exactly twenty-five of them on board the BUS. The agents who would save the world and their families. And they slept, waiting for the Earth to be inhabitable again.
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, Clint Barton/Laura Barton, Emori/John Murphy (The 100), Lance Hunter/Bobbi Morse, Monty Green/Harper McIntyre, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Phil Coulson/Melinda May, Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov
Comments: 12
Kudos: 38





	1. Prologue

There were exactly twenty-five of them on board the BUS, the smallest crew to be sent out. It was considered the only international space station, under SHIELD jurisdiction. It was also the only one containing children, belonging to the agents on board. Originally created as an experiment, or perhaps an external hub to watch for extra-terrestrial threats, once SHIELD learnt of A.L.I.E, they gathered together a team of their best Agents and their families and sent them into space. They wanted SHIELD to continue, even after the world was destroyed.

Phil and May Coulson had been the first to sign up, along with their ten-year-old daughter, Skye. They trusted Fury, who would be leading the operation. The other members of their team were quick to follow. Bobbi and Hunter were young and reckless. They wanted an adventure that they couldn’t get anywhere else. Annie and Harold Simmons operated as the team’s scientists, bringing their genius thirteen-year-old daughter Jemma Simmons with them. Aileen Fitz had been a surprise addition. Her twelve-year-old son, Leopold Fitz, was an engineering genius and was set to graduate in just two short years. His brilliance had caught the attention of SHIELD and they had offered him a place on board. The boy had been thrilled to accept, dragging his mother along with him.

The Avengers had come as a unit. Many of them had begun families and were keen to retire, or at least take a moment to themselves. The BUS provided an escape for them and their multitude of enemies. Tony Stark sold his company to SHIELD, taking his wife Pepper, their six-year-old daughter Morgan, and their fifteen-year-old adopted son, Peter Parker-Stark, with him into space. Clint brought his family out of hiding, including his two children, Lila and Cooper, who were five and seven respectively, and his pregnant wife Laura. Finally, Natasha Romanoff and Steve Rogers brought their two adopted children, little two-year-old Maggie, and four-year-old James. They were the youngest children on board.

Nick Fury and Maria Hill led the BUS. They knew it would be a challenge, but it was sure to be worth it in the end. Safely in space, the crew went into Cryo Sleep, ready for the day that Earth would be safe to inhabit again.

In that time, the world burned twice, and they never knew.

Family Name: Coulson

Members: Phil Coulson, Melinda May, Skye Coulson (Ten)

Additional Details: Melinda May is semi-retired following a mission in Bahrain. She has requested to be removed from combat and to work from home barring emergencies. Phil Coulson leads a Special Operations Unit consisting of Bobbi Morse, Lance Hunter, Annie Simmons and Harold Simmons.

Family Name: Simmons

Members: Annie Simmons, Harold Simmons, Jemma Simmons (Thirteen)

Additional Details: Jemma Simmons is classified as having Genius level IQ. She is set to be recruited by SHIELD Academy following her impending graduation. Jemma Simmons specialises in Biochemistry. Annie Simmons specialises in Engineering. Harold Simmons specialises in Biochemistry.

Family Name: Fitz

Members: Aileen Fitz, Leopold Fitz (Twelve)

Additional Details: Leopold Fitz is classified as having Genius level IQ. He is set to be recruited by SHIELD Academy following his impending graduation. Leopold Fitz specialises in Engineering. Aileen Fitz is classified as a citizen.

Family Name: Stark

Members: Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Peter Parker-Stark (Fifteen), Morgan Stark (Six)

Additional Details: Tony Stark is classified as having Genius level IQ. Peter Parker-Stark was formally adopted eighteen months prior to the operation’s launch, following the death of his Aunt. Peter Parker-Stark is classified as having Genius level IQ. Morgan Stark is believed to have Genius level IQ. More testing may follow.

Family Name: Barton

Members: Clint Barton, Laura Barton, Cooper Barton (Seven), Lila Barton (Five)

Additional Details: Clint Barton has 80% hearing loss following a traumatic childhood incident. Laura Barton is eight months pregnant at the time of the operation’s launch.

Family Name: Rogers

Members: Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, James Rogers (Four), Margaret Rogers (Two years/ twenty seven months)

Additional Details: Steve Rogers was selected for Project Rebirth. Steve Roger’s blood contains Super Solider Serum. Natasha Romanoff’s blood contains a weakened variant of Super Solider Serum. James Alexander Hansen was adopted in 2008 alongside his biological sister Lauren Olivia Hansen. Lauren Olivia Hansen’s name has subsequently been legally changed to Margaret Sarah Rogers. James Alexander Hansen’s name has legally been changed to James Alexander Rogers.


	2. Chapter One

_Everything was darker than Melinda had expected. She’d expected that the view would be, of course. Space was dark. No, it was the lack of natural light that threw her. She missed the feeling of warm sun on her face, so bright that she could barely see. Artificial light couldn’t compare._

_“Mom! Mom! Look! I can see the Great Wall of China!” Melinda smiled softly at Skye’s unrepenting enthusiasm. She had been thrilled when they’d talked to her about coming up here and was taking everything in her stride. Melinda wasn’t sure that Skye quite understood the implications of the mission yet; the fact that Earth would likely be destroyed._

_“Sweetie,” She chuckled, pressing a kiss to Skye’s forehead, “We’ve talked about this. You can’t actually see the Great Wall of China from space. It just isn’t big enough.”_

_Skye pouted adorably._

_“That’s China though, right? Jemma said it was, and she’s super smart.”_

_Melinda laughed and nodded._

_“Yeah baby, it is. See where the coast i- “She stopped suddenly as she noticed odd movement across the globe. It looked like-_

_“Skye, baby? I think it’s time for bed. Let’s go find dad, yeah?”_

_Skye frowned, even as she took her mom’s hand and they headed towards the bunks._

_“I’m not tired though?” She complained. Melinda merely shook her head and kept walking. Those had looked like Nuclear Missiles, and she certainly didn’t want Skye to watch the destruction of their beloved planet. It was time for them to go into Cryo Sleep._

“Mel? It’s time to wake up.” Melinda blinked a couple of times, Phil’s face coming into focus above her. He was already dressed, which suggested he must have been awake for a little while.

“Did it work? What’s going on?” She asked quickly, sitting up and taking in her surroundings. She was still in the Cryo bay, with most of the chambers closed. Two, presumably belonging to Hill and Fury, had already been opened, as had Phil’s. Phil beamed at her.

“The year is 2156. We made it! According to our monitors, Earth is survivable again.” Melinda smiled and pressed her lips to his, snuggling into his chest. It was strange. She knew it had been a hundred years since they had last held each other, but it felt like only moments ago.

“Can we wake people up or is there a system? Are we waiting?” Phil laughed.

“Fury gave me the all clear. What do you think? Adults first and then children, or do you just want to wake Skye up now?”

Melinda glanced down at Skye’s Cryo Chamber. She looked so peaceful asleep, and Melinda knew the energetic girl would be difficult to calm down once she was woken. Besides, they still needed to explain to the kids what had happened to their home, if they even could. Melinda realised she wasn’t even sure of the answers herself.

“Adults,” She decided, “It will help to ease into things.”

* * *

_“Jemma, please stop studying. You’re in space, you should be enjoying it.”_

_Jemma glanced up from where she was surrounded by books. There had been a certain weight limit for what they could bring with them, so Annie wasn’t sure how her daughter had managed to get so many. She wondered if Jemma had actually brought any clothes with her._

_“Sorry Mum. It’s just, I want to be able to graduate when we get back down to Earth. I can’t do that if I spend my whole time star-gazing, can I?”_

_Annie grimaced, wishing she could go back on her and Harold’s agreement not to tell Jemma the truth. They knew she was old enough to understand, but knowing your planet was about to be destroyed was hard enough for them to hear, never mind a child. It was easier this way._

_“Why don’t you at least go and hang out with Leo? He’s around your age, and very intelligent. You’re sure to find things in common.”_

_Jemma shrugged, going a little red._

_“Leo is introducing himself to everybody on board. I didn’t want to, so he went on without me.” She mumbled shyly, tucking her hair behind both ears. Annie smiled and winked. She couldn’t help seeing the similarities between her and Harold, and Leo and Jemma. They even had the same specialties. Sue her for wanting to see her studious daughter happy and with friends for once. Maybe this mission would be good for her._

_She frowned slightly as her device buzzed, indicating a message._

_‘The Nuclear Apocalypse has begun. Fury recommends sending kids into Cryo Sleep. Meet you at Cryo Bay?’_

_Annie sent back a quick affirmative._

_“Jemma put your books down please. We need to go to the Cryo Bay. Fury wants us in Cryo Sleep.”_

_Jemma groaned._

_“I have one chapter left, mum. Can’t I- “_

_“No,” Annie told her firmly, “Your books will still be here when we get back. Now come on. Chop Chop!”_

There was a certain beauty to the destroyed Earth. It wasn’t the same, of course, but still so beautiful. It was as if someone had removed all of the colours and locked them away.

“Look mum, dad.” Jemma murmured softly, “There’s a spot of green over there.”

Annie smiled. Her baby girl was always so good at finding the light in things. She was still upset of course. When Harold had woken her and told her the news, she had cried for a long time, but then she had stopped, and pointed out that they were still alive.

“We’ll be okay. We’re still together.” She’d told them. It was a beautiful sentiment, and Annie had nearly started crying herself. What had she done to deserve such an incredible, pure-hearted daughter?

“I see it! How interesting do you think it will be to discover how the radiation affected the animals, do you think?” Harold asked, his face lighting up at the idea. Jemma gasped excitedly and looked over at him.

“Oh! We should catalogue all the animals we find for future generations to see! We could take DNA samples too and see if that’s altered!”

Annie merely listened, watching that little patch of green with a soft smile. Yes, she thought. They would be alright. They were survivors, after all. That was what survivors did.

* * *

_“Never thought I’d end up In space.” Aileen Fitz commented. She had found her way to the common room, where several of the ‘non-essentials’, aka those who couldn’t pilot a spaceship, had gathered. Leo was off exploring the ship, and though Aileen couldn’t begrudge his curiosity, she wished he would have stayed. A familiar face would be rather nice right about now._

_The man to her right snorted, as he inspected what looked suspiciously like an arrow._

_“Ya get used to it.” He commented sardonically, “I’m Clint, by the way. I know we didn’t get ‘round to introductions earlier.”_

_Aileen smiled gratefully at him. Many of the people on board were already familiar with each other, and even Leo had already met a few of them when they’d approached him originally. Aileen had been left with rather a disadvantage._

_“I’m not so sure I want to get used to it. It all seems so sci-fi and magical. I’m far more about being down-to-earth, so to speak. I’m only here for my boy, you see. Couldn’t let him come alone.” She admitted. Clint laughed._

_“You’d like my wife, Laura. She’s around here somewhere, I think. With our two rascals. I’ll introduce you later.”_

_“Clint,” Another man called suddenly, “Fury’s calling for kids to be put in Cryo Sleep. D’you know where Skye and Mel went?”_

_Clint frowned and shook his head._

_“I’m sure she’s got the memo. I need to go and find Coop and Lils though.” He got up and headed over to the door, before pausing and turning back to Aileen, “You should probably find your boy. I don’t think the end of the world is something any of us want to watch.”_

“I didn’t really believe them.” Leo murmured, looking out at the destroyed earth. They had all gathered to see what was left. Jemma said that there was a spot of green, but all he could see was grey and brown. Death. He thought of all the people who had been killed. _Dad_. When he and Ma had packed up and left on the BUS, all he’d thought about was the adventure. Being in space. He hadn’t thought about leaving dad behind, or his tiny number of friends. They were all gone now. It wasn’t even as if his dad had been a good one, but he hadn’t deserved this. No one did. It was horrible.

“No,” Ma agreed solemnly, “I’m not quite sure what I expected, but it wasn’t this.”

Leo wondered if Ma was thinking about dad too. Did she miss him?

“I’m trying to think of a good quote,” He commented finally, squinting in concentration, “To sum up the devastation here. But I’m coming up short.”

“The books are all gone,” Jemma spoke up from his other side, looking thoughtful, “Except for the ones I brought. Perhaps what is needed is new words, not old?”

“In the end-” He began, nodding to Jemma appreciatively,

“There are no words- “She continued

“-to describe this intangible loss from afar- “

“We must dig deeper, -”

“And look into our very souls.”

“I like that,” Jemma hummed, smiling sadly, “It’s very poetic. We should write it down. The first piece of writing from beyond the apocalypse.”

“Yeah, “Leo agreed, “So people know how we felt when they look back.”

“I won’t ever properly graduate,” Jemma spoke mournfully, “That’s what really strikes me. I know it’s silly, but I’ll always wonder what grades I might have gotten.”

“I know what you mean. We’ll never experience SHIELD Academy like it once was, and there are so many places in the world I’ve never been to. “

“We can explore this new world,” Jemma decided, “That can be our legacy.”

* * *

_They’d been designated a set of three rooms: one for Pepper and Tony, one for Peter, and one for Morgan. Peter laid on Morgan’s new bed, covered in her favourite toys, and the duvet cover she’d chosen to bring, reading her a story._

_“-They were standing in the most magnificent room. There were columns and carvings, and dark tapestries and paintings on the wall. In front of them- “_

_He stopped as Tony came bustling in, looking both worried and relieved at the same time._

_“I found out from Fury what those lights were. We’re putting the kids into Cryo Sleep.” Peter heard the unspoken words and nodded silently._

_“C’mon Moggy, let’s get you to the Cryo Bay.” He kept his voice cheerful, forcing himself to smile._

_“I wanted to finish the story!” Morgan whined. She snuggled into Peter’s chest and he picked her up and carried her out._

_“Tell you what, I’ll finish it as soon as we wake up again, yeah?”_

_“Kay” Morgan muttered sleepily. She held no complaints as Tony took her from Peter and settled her into the Cryo Chamber. Pepper appeared and moved forwards, whispering goodnight to her little girl. They all watched as the lid came over, sealing Morgan safely inside._

_“Y’know,” Tony spoke carefully, “If you wanted, you could stay? The adults aren’t going under yet. We have a few things to sort out first. No one would mind if you joined us.”_

_Peter considered it. He knew the adults didn’t really consider him a ‘kid’ as such; Back on Earth, he had already been helping Tony with SI, as well as Avengers business whenever he could. It helped that Tony and Pepper had never pushed him to call them ‘mom’ and ‘dad’, giving him the space that he needed as an individual. Still, he didn’t feel ready to watch the end of the world yet, and it didn’t feel right to stay awake. He shook his head._

_“Thanks, but I’m okay. I’ll see you both on the other side.”_

_Tony and Pepper both hugged him, just as they had done for Morgan, and watched as he lay back into his own chamber. Peter forced himself to relax and closed his eyes, ready for whatever was coming when he woke up again._

Peter sat in the control room, trying not to squeal in delight. This was something he’d dreamed of since he was a little kid, and it totally sucked that he was only even here right now because Earth as they knew it was gone. Just for a second, his mind drifted to Ned and MJ, and the rest of the kids at his school, even Flash, but he forced himself to stop. No good dwelling on that now. He was in a freaking spaceship, learning how to pilot it from some of the coolest people on- well. Some of the coolest people he’d ever met.

Melinda May was in charge of the actual piloting deal, hands expertly flicking switches as if she had been born to do so. Tony was keeping track of the engines and general system of the ship, making sure everything was running like it was supposed to. He was joined occasionally by Annie Simmons, who was attempting to reconnect the radio system.

“If I can get this to work,” she explained to Peter, “We can find out the exact situation everything is in. Right now, we just don’t know.”

Peter considered what she was saying.

“We know the radiation is down to habitable levels though, right?” He asked, reading the screens. Annie nodded vaguely.

“Yes, but if it’s habitable, that also suggests it’s inhabited. For all we know, we could be walking into a giant death trap of dangerous unknown species that have evolved to survive that climate. It’s really not my area of expertise though. You should ask my husband, or my daughter. They could tell you more.”

Peter glanced over to the corner, where Jemma Simmons and Leopold Fitz had produced a large map of earth and were attempting to measure just how drastically the Earth’s surface had been altered. He didn’t want to disturb them.

“Who are we trying to contact then? People on Earth?”

“No,” Annie replied, frowning at the equipment, “There are a few space stations that were in orbit at the time. We believe there’s one on our radar and we’re trying to work out if there’s anyone onboard. No telling if they know more than us of course but…you know. Worth trying.”

Right, of course. Because that made perfect sense.

* * *

_The good thing about all of the Avengers being here, Natasha decided, was that she still had her support system. She and Laura had claimed a few rooms close to each other so they could get help whenever it was inevitably required. It helped that the kids were already good friends, and Lila and James were practically joined at the hip._

_“Nooo Jamie you do it like this! Look, see, you put it on the side and then it doesn’t go ping!” Lila burst out. She and James had been playing Buckaroo for hours and were yet to get bored of it. James nodded emphatically._

_“I put it on his head ‘cause it’s a cowboy hat.” He explained, grabbing the hat back and returning it to its original position._

_“Okay,” Laura suddenly spoke up, “I think that’s enough of that game. Why don’t you two pack it away and we can go find daddy, hmmm?”_

_She grinned at Natasha, who couldn’t help feeling relieved. Both of them had been able to tell that the small argument was bound to end in tears, and they had been doing so well so far. She swooped Maggie into her arms, smiling as her beautiful baby giggled in delight._

_“Mama!” Maggie cried, reaching up to play with her hair. Natasha glanced up as the door opened and Steve came in. He looked concerned but brightened at the sight of his wife and children._

_“Fury gave the orders.” He told them, maintaining the smile as he picked up James. Natasha followed his lead and gave Maggie a big cheesy grin._

_“Cryo Bay?” she asked. Steve nodded his confirmation._

_“Okay then, let’s go.” Laura called, motioning to her kids. The small group trooped out of the room, and Natasha forced herself not to look out of the windows. She didn’t want to watch the world burn, no matter how many enemies would burn with it. So many children were going to die needlessly. She wished there was something they could have done, but there wasn’t._

“We’ve made contact” Fury announced to them. His voice was kept low so as not to disturb the youngest children in the corner, being supervised by Aileen and Laura. Leo and Jemma sat with Jemma’s parents, listening intently whilst Peter sat with Tony and Pepper. Skye had squeezed herself in between her parents, despite being told she was too young to take part. Phil had only relented after Skye promised to be good and not distract them.

“Who’s going to go?” Bruce asked. He had been quiet up until then, preferring to listen rather than make contributions.

“I won’t,” Natasha jumped in immediately, “I don’t want to leave Maggie.”

Steve and Clint both shook their heads too, the latter looking pointedly over at Laura by way of explanation.

“We’re scientists, not negotiators,” Harold pointed out, “It shouldn’t be us.”

“I think we all know that I shouldn’t be the one to go.” Tony added, looking serious for once.

Fury groaned quietly.

“This is why I didn’t want a team of people with families. Far too sentimental, you lot. Alright, Bobbi? Hunter?”

The pair glanced at each other then back at Fury,

“I reckon we’d only make the situation worse, mate.” Hunter suggested

“This isn’t our area of expertise.” Bobbi added, leaning into her husband’s side. Fury ran a hand over his face.

“Melinda, Phil, _please_ tell me you’ll do it.” He was relieved to find that neither of the older agents immediately disagreed. They both looked thoughtful and were glancing down at Skye.

“We’ll do it,” Melinda began, ignoring the sighs of relief around the room, “but we want to bring Skye with us.”

Melinda and Phil said nothing as the room burst into complaint, each parent leaning forward to give their own opinion on the situation. Only Bobbi and Bruce stayed out of it, though both looked uncomfortable about the decision. Finally, Phil held up his hand, and the room fell silent once again.

“Before you all start talking, I’d like to point out that Skye is _our_ daughter, and no matter what your personal opinions are on this, it is our decision in the end. Beyond that, we aren’t making this decision recklessly. Skye is perfectly capable of defending herself against any trouble. She has trained with me, Mel, Natasha, and multiple other highly qualified agents practically since birth. We think it would be a good idea to bring one of the children with us, as it will demonstrate to them that we mean no harm. As such, Skye is the best candidate, especially if Mel and I would be the agents accompanying her.”

He paused, waiting for any questions, but none came. Nobody looked happy about it, but they seemed to have accepted it.

“That’s settled then,” Fury decided, “We’ll arrange for them to let you on board as soon as possible. Bobbi, Hill, you will go with them. I like those odds better, even if you aren’t trained in negotiation.”

Bobbi nodded her understanding, and she and Maria moved to begin preparation with Mel and Phil. She knew this would be a difficult operation. It needed to be handled with care.


	3. Chapter Two

Skye was bouncing on the balls of her feet by the time they were ready to board the other station. She hadn’t really been told much, except that it was a potentially dangerous situation and she needed to be careful and sensible. Mom had made sure to recap some basic self-defence with her, and dad had reminded her several times about her manners. It was getting boring.

The most annoying to deal with had been Leo and Jemma. They had been extremely disgruntled about being left out and had explained extensively to all of the other adults why they should go instead. Skye had walked away eventually, but she’d gotten the gist of it. Jemma and Leo were smart, and she wasn’t. They thought she was a baby because she was small for her age and younger than them. It stung, but she wasn’t going to tell them that. She would just show them how awesome she could be.

“Ready, Сестра?” Bobbi asked, coming up to her. Skye beamed. She knew logically that it made no sense for Bobbi to be her ‘sister’, but Skye loved it anyway. She’d never had a sister before.

“да!” She replied easily, trying not to appear too enthusiastic. If they thought she was going to act up, they’d never let her go. The sensation of boarding the other station was odd, and Skye didn’t entirely understand what was going on, but then they were stood on solid ground, staring at a group of adults who looked very confused. Skye giggled.

“Hi! I’m Skye! What’re your names?” She burst out, ignoring mom’s pointed look. The adults looked even more bewildered. Finally, the woman with cropped blonde hair spoke up.

“You have kids on your ship?” She asked tentatively, still staring at Skye. Skye nodded eagerly, jumping in before anyone else could answer.

“We got lots of kids ‘cos Captain Eyepatch thought it would be a good idea, but now he’s annoyed at us.”

Hill snorted at the nickname for their director but said nothing. Mom merely rolled her eyes, and dad stepped forwards to explain.

“My name is Phil Coulson, this is my wife, Melinda May, and our daughter Skye. That’s Maria Hill and Bobbi Morse.” He introduced, smiling pleasantly. Skye squinted at the other adults. They seemed to be thrown by the idea of the ship being full of couples and children, but it was _obvious_ that their situation wasn’t vastly different. The blonde haired woman and the man with curly black hair were standing super close to each other and kept glancing over when they thought the other one wasn’t looking, which meant they were _obviously_ completely in love with each other, and the other four people seemed to be paired off too. The last person caught Skye’s eye, and she narrowed her gaze onto the woman’s leg.

“I like your leg brace.” She commented, smiling sweetly. The woman frowned.

“What the fu-”

The black-haired man placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a look.

“I’m Bellamy,” He responded, clearing his throat nervously, “This is Clarke, and that’s Raven.”

“Murphy.” One of the other guys piped up.

“I’m Harper and this is Monty.” The third woman spoke softly.

“Emori.” The last one added.

Skye lit up.

“You have a face tattoo? Can I get one?”

“Skye! Enough.” Mom snapped. Skye flushed and ducked her head.

“Sorry mom.”

Murphy chuckled slightly.

“I think I can see why… Captain Eyepatch is so annoyed” He commented sardonically. Skye pouted.

“Director Fury,” Dad corrected, “Considered it a politically sound move to save a select group of agents and their families and save them from A.L.I. E’s destruction of Earth. He’s mostly annoyed because we’re more interested in being good parents than good agents.”

Clarke leaned forwards, her eyes sparking.

“You know about A.L.I.E? And the attacks?”

“We went into Cryo Sleep just after the nuclear weapons were released.” Hill interjected. She tilted her head. “We were actually hoping you might be able to fill in the gaps.”

* * *

Skye quickly discovered that this station was dead boring. There weren’t any books or toys at all, and she was almost regretting her initial eagerness to come in the first place. Almost. The adults were talking in hushed voices so she couldn’t hear, but bits and pieces were loud enough for her to pick up.

“We … grounders”

“… Mount…” 

“… A.L.I.E…chip…”

“second … meltdown…”

Skye suddenly noticed that the pretty girl with the tattoo, Emori, wasn’t joining in with the discussion, and she edged over.

“Did it hurt?”

Emori glanced down at her in surprise.

“Did what hurt?” She questioned. Skye vaguely noticed her pulling the gloved hand towards her chest, but she ignored it, for now.

“Dad would say ‘when you fell from heaven’ to mom, ‘cos he’s cheesy, but I meant the tattoo. I always thought they would hurt on your face.”

Emori’s face creased slightly, crinkling the tattoo.

“Why would he say… Never mind. Um, I don’t really remember to be honest. It was a long time ago.” She spoke finally. Skye nodded.

“Oh, okay. Is your hand okay?”

Emori stared.

“My hand?”

Skye nodded again.

“The one you’re hiding. I know somebody with a hole in his chest, and he has a blue nightlight there instead now. And my sort of uncle’s ears don’t work properly when he takes them out.” Skye lowered her voice, “It’s okay, you know? I won’t scream. I saw lots of bad injuries back home ‘cos my parents couldn’t always hide them from me.”

Emori looked at her for a long time, before finally, hesitantly, she removed the glove that had been hiding her hand. Skye’s eyes widened and she smiled cheerfully.

“You’ve got a spock hand! That’s so cool! Look! I can do it too!” Skye made the shape with her right hand. She raised her voice slightly and attempted to imitate a man’s voice. “Live long and prosper! My dad made me watch all of them ‘cos mom says he’s a nerd.”

She noticed, belatedly, that Emori was crying, and dropped her hand, tilting her head slightly.

“Are you okay? Sorry I made you cry.”

It was probably good that the adults finished their conversation just then and noticed Skye and Emori’s interaction. Murphy rushed over, looking both confused and furious.

“What the hell did you say to her? I swear, if you upset her, I’ll-”

“Murphy, it’s okay” Emori cut him off, smiling though her tears, “She was just being really sweet, and it caught me by surprise.”

Bobbi chuckled.

“That’s our Skye. What’d she say this time?”

Emori looked a little confused even as she explained about ‘spock hand’ and dad burst out laughing.

“I’ve taught her well.” He joked.

“What’s spock?” Raven asked suddenly, biting her lip. Skye’s mouth fell open in shock.

“You haven’t seen Star Trek? But you live in space!”

“I’ve seen it,” Clarke spoke up, looking oddly ashamed of her admission, “But my parents were kind of well off.”

Noticing how uncomfortable the others looked, Skye quickly moved the conversation on.

“Do we get to go down to Earth? Mrs B promised I could play with Rex when we get back.”

Mom and dad’s eyes glistened slightly, and dad bent down to her level.

“Skye, angel-eyes, we’ve talked about this. Earth’s gone. Mrs Bennet isn’t there anymore.”

Skye frowned, forgetting for a moment about the other adults.

“But daddy, I can see Earth. It isn’t gone! It’s right there.”

“The people are gone, Skye,” mom murmured, “Even if- Even if they survived, it’s been years. They’d be long gone by now.”

Skye rushed to the window, peering down at Earth. It wasn’t fair! Mrs B was always nice to Skye, and she loved playing with Rex. And what about all of the agents that Skye had met? Were they gone too?

“No! It’s not fair! _Mommy_ …” Skye burst into tears and ran into her mom’s arms, sobbing hysterically. Mom clutched Skye to her chest and held her there as she cried, unable to say anything to make it better.

* * *

Bobbi tried very hard not to cry over Skye’s reaction, but it was a close thing. Skye eventually cried herself to sleep in her mom’s arms and Emori let them use her room to lie Skye down out of the way. The people from the other station (who had introduced themselves as SpaceKru) seemed rather sorry about Skye’s reaction, and even asked if there was anything they could do to help. Bobbi sighed and shook her head.

“Skye’s a sensitive kid, and she’s not quite old enough to understand what’s happening, so she’s bound to be upset. When we were back on Earth, she used to try to run up to random people on the streets and hug them, just ‘cos they looked sad.” She snorted slightly at the memory of May lecturing her daughter, trying desperately to persuade her that doing so could be potentially dangerous. Mother and daughter were incredibly stubborn, and those debates could go on for hours.

“This must be quite sudden for you.” Raven realised, looking thoughtful, “I mean, we were born in space, except Emori, and the world had already been destroyed once by then. But for you…I’m sorry. It must be hard.”

Bobbi shrugged slightly, not sure she wanted to get into it with a group of near strangers.

“I mean, sure. We lost a lot of good friends on the ground, but it was impossible to save everyone. I was lucky to be able to bring my husband with me. It means I’m not completely alone.”

“We had time to accept it,” Hill added, looking solemn but not particularly sad, “And come to terms with what was happening. There was a general agreement not to tell the kids, though. So it’s more of a shock to them.”

“Right,” Clarke nodded, “I suppose that makes sense.”

* * *

Bellamy was thrown, to say the least. When they had received the message from the… BUS (and what kind of a name was that?), all of them had been shocked. It had been five long years, and they’d heard nothing. He’d be interested to know if Kane and Abby were aware of the BUS’s existence once they returned to Earth. The arrival of Skye, so bubbly and sweet, and reminding him all too strongly of Octavia as a kid, had thrown him for another loop.

They’d explained what they could to the adults, only really leaving out the details that didn’t feel relevant, like how he and Clarke had fought so much at first, and like Murphy was a cockroach.

“We’ve come to a decision.” Phil Coulson announced. Bellamy jumped. He hadn’t been aware of the new arrivals discussing anything, but maybe that was just him. He glanced at Clarke, who looked equally startled. Not just him then.

“We think you should come back with us onto the BUS. You said you don’t have enough fuel to get down, so we’ll help you out there. Once we’re on the ground, we’ll figure something out. Does that sound good?”

Bellamy shrugged, giving Clarke a look. She tilted her head to one side and nodded slowly. Bellamy relaxed. If Clarke thought it was a good idea, then he was happy. She’d always been much better at reading into deals and treaties. It was probably a result of her upbringing. 

They gathered the sparse things that were of any importance and followed Melinda out. She had somehow retrieved her sleepy daughter at some point, and the little girl was dozing on her hip. Bellamy allowed himself to smile. It had been a long time since he’d been around children, and he looked forwards to doing so again. Maybe it would help him miss Octavia a little less.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm trying to decide which direction to take this in and I currently have two ways I think this could go:
> 
> 1\. Everyone goes down, rescues Wonkru, inhabits Eden. The gang comes up with a way to spread the greenness so they can rebuild Earth, FLUFF (This would be significantly shorter 😊, like 2-3 more chapters)
> 
> 2\. Everyone goes down, rescues Wonkru, Octavia wants Eden for herself and fights SHIELD, it is discovered that Inhumans are actually Nightbloods but before the blood was altered to physically look different, a bunker full of terrigen crystals is discovered, chaos and powers ensue, Skye being the leader? (probably around 7-10 chapters but would take much longer to put together)
> 
> I'd love it if people could let me know what they'd love to see from this! It has the potential to become very complex and I don't want to attempt that if it's not what people are interested in reading!


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